Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns

It's Easter time and I've been busy hot cross bunning! (If you count 3 batches baked in 10 days as busy). The recipe is in the EDC (page 117 sans the choc chips). However I've decided to post my own version which came about purely by accident!When making my first batch of the season I didn't realise my TM cord was caught up under one of its legs and resulted in serious weighing errors (something one should have learnt in Thermomix 101!) I only discovered this once I had put in the milk and was weighing in the flour so there was no going back. As I hate waste, I didn't throw it out but plowed ahead and did it all by "feel". It produced the best batch I have ever made. And therein lay the problem - I was not sure I could recreate it because of the errors! Anyway a couple of experiments (and many calories) later, I think I have it.
So here's my Thermotalk version of this month's "hottest" bun:Ingredients400g milk60g raw sugar

15g dry yeast (4 tsp)

650g bakers flour2 tsp salt90g butter1 egg1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg1/2 tsp ground cloves200g mixed dried fruit (or your own favourite combo of any or all of sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries, cherries, mixed peel (but don't use more than 20g of this unless you really like the orange/lemon rind taste))Approximately half a cup of dark chocolate chipsExtra butterMethodPlace milk into TM bowl and cook for 2 minutes at 60C on speed 1.Place remaining ingredients (in order of the recipe list) into the TM bowl except the dried fruit and choc chips, and mix for 6 seconds on speed 7.Place dried fruit into the TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5.Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 4 minutes on Interval setting.

Dough before first prove

Remove from TM bowl and put into a bowl to prove. As the dough is quite sticky, use buttered hands to make it easier to remove from the TM bowl.

Doubled!

Put in a warm place to prove for 1 to 1.5 hours until dough more than doubles in size.Grease a large baking tray (30cm x 40cm) (you can use baking paper but I find that I get a better bun if it is baked directly on the tray).With buttered hands pull off enough dough for a dinner roll size bun, press 4-6 chocolate chips into the base and fold over to enclose and create a smooth top on your bun. Makes about 24.

Buns before second prove

Place onto baking tray about 1cm apart so that they have room to grow. Cover and let prove for about an hour until the buns are touching each other.

Crossed & ready for the oven

Pipe with crosses and bake in a pre-heated oven at 220C for 12 minutes or until a golden colour. Leave oven on.Brush with hot sugar syrup and then place back into the oven for another minute to set the glaze.Piping MixturePlace 50g water, 40g plain flour, 1/2 tsp light olive oil and a pinch of salt in TM bowl and mix to combine for 30 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides if necessary and mix again until mixture is smooth and of pancake consistency. Pour into a piping bag (or a ziplock/freezer bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner) and pipe out the crosses onto the buns.Sugar syrupDissolve 3 tbsp raw sugar in 3 tbsp of boiling water by stirring vigorously.

Best eaten straight from the oven whilst warm! Still good to eat a day later, and if (in the unlikely event) you have any leftover pop them in the freezer for a yummy snack another day.

Thanks for your comment. You may have missed in the method that the choc chips and dried fruit are not to be added at the mix stage. Choc chips only to be added at the stage of forming into buns. I will amend the recipe to make this clearer. Thanks!